The Netherton herd of pedigree Aberdeen-angus was founded in 1924 by the grandfather and great grandfather of the present owners at drumhead, located some 2 miles from Netherton. 

Right from the herd’s conception, the aim has always been to breed good commercial bulls. To this day we strongly believe in the saying “don’t try and breed stock bulls – breed what the commercial producer wants and the stock bulls will breed themselves.”

Netherton began weight recording in 1959 and has been fully recorded ever since, making Netherton the oldest recorded herd of any breed in the UK. We have been scanning since the technology first became available in the 1980s, so we now have a herd that combines true breed character and performance to match. 

This emphasis on technical management tools means Netherton is the UK’s leading Aberdeen-Angus herd for carcass traits. The modern beef industry requires an animal with a high beef retail yield and we consistently aim to breed cattle meeting this requirement, along with docility, longevity, length and locomotion – characteristics the breed is known for.

Showing has always formed a key component of life at Netherton and in the run up to 2002 when we ceased showing, Netherton had competed at 123 shows winning an outstanding 75 female championships as well as herd of the year some eight times. Netherton has won the Royal Highland Show four times and the Royal Show six times. Showing came to a halt due to disease restrictions in 2002, but we have started on a regional scale now as well as national Calf Shows.

Netherton Figo

Netherton Missie A114

Netherton has also been prolific in the sale ring, where we have produced eight supreme champions at Perth, as well as three reserve champions, as well as many section champions and reserves. We have also sold many high priced bulls through the ring, including Netherton Figo who was described by many as the best bull seen in Perth for 50 years. He was supreme champion and sold for 30,000gns (£31,500) in 2005 making him the first Aberdeen-Angus bull in the modern era to break the £30,000 barrier.

Since 1995 it has been the herd’s policy to sell breeding females at six years of age through our highly successful Matrons Sale in Perth, which over the years has seen our prefix smash many female records for the breed.  Netherton have sold more females over £10,000 than any other herd at public auction and have sold to a top of 30,000gns (£31,500) for Netherton Missie A114 in 2007.

These sales are only possible because of our extensive embryo transfer programme which has seen almost half the calves born at Netherton coming from our embryo breeding programme. We have also been able to sell substantial numbers of embryos at home and abroad, including the sale of embryos back to Canada to Young Dale and Miller Wilson after 30 years of trading the other way.

Semen is collected from our top bulls and is available worldwide. Through our semen and embryo sales, Netherton genetics are still winning and topping many of the breed’s shows and sales for their new owners.

To keep up this demand we continue to search the world for the best genetics available, with new bloodlines coming in from America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

 

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